Back to EveryPatent.com
| United States Patent |
6,177,941
|
|
Haynes
, et al.
|
January 23, 2001
|
Representative mapping between toolbars and menu bar pulldowns
Abstract
A graphical user interface for a computer system has a toolbar with
associated items and a menu bar having at least one pulldown menu with
associated items, and provides a visual correspondence between items on
the pulldown menu and items on the toolbar. The visual correspondence can
be provided when a graphical pointer is placed over an item on the
pulldown menu, and when a graphical pointer is placed over an item on the
toolbar. The visual correspondence may be provided by highlighting the
item on the toolbar, by providing a ghost image of the item on the
toolbar, or by providing a ghost image of the pulldown menu. The invention
retains current user interaction with toolbars and menu bars, and the
novel dynamic linking of menu bar and toolbar items extends the
functionality of the GUI without increasing visual complexity.
| Inventors:
|
Haynes; Thomas R. (Apex, NC);
Paradise; Jerry T. (Durham, NC);
Hunt; Christopher (Raleigh, NC)
|
| Assignee:
|
International Business Machine Corporation (Armonk, NY)
|
| Appl. No.:
|
918146 |
| Filed:
|
August 25, 1997 |
| Current U.S. Class: |
715/810; 715/843 |
| Intern'l Class: |
G06F 003/00 |
| Field of Search: |
345/352,348,326-340,341-347,349-351,353-355,356-357,110-115,102
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
| 5432903 | Jul., 1995 | Frid-Nielsen | 345/352.
|
| 5475843 | Dec., 1995 | Halviatti et al. | 395/700.
|
| 5557730 | Sep., 1996 | Frid-Nielsen | 345/352.
|
| 5636920 | Jun., 1997 | Shur et al. | 364/410.
|
| 5644737 | Jul., 1997 | Tuniman et al. | 345/352.
|
| 5740444 | Apr., 1998 | Frid-Nielsen | 395/705.
|
| 5828376 | Oct., 1998 | Solimene et al. | 345/352.
|
| 5867162 | Feb., 1999 | O'Leary et al. | 345/352.
|
| 5963659 | Oct., 1999 | Cahill et al. | 382/139.
|
| 5982370 | Nov., 1999 | Kamper | 345/356.
|
| 6014138 | Jan., 2000 | Cain et al. | 345/335.
|
Other References
Litton PRC, "Windows NT 4.0 Basics and Guidebook for the NT Desktop,"
U.S.P.T.O, Arlington, VA, May, 1997.
Simpson, Windows 95 Uncut, IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., Ca. pp. 64-67, Ch. 5,
1995.
|
Primary Examiner: Sax; Steven
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Magistrale; Anthony, Dillon; Andrew
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A computer system comprising:
a display device;
a processor; and
means allowing said processor to cause said display device to depict a
graphical user interface including a window having a toolbar with
associated items and a menu bar having at least one pulldown menu with
associated items, said means further providing a visual correspondence
between an item on said pulldown menu and the equivalent item on said
toolbar, by changing a visual appearance of a first one of said pulldown
menu item and said toolbar item in response to placement of a graphical
pointer over a second one of said pulldown menu item and said toolbar
item.
2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said means provides said visual
correspondence when the graphical pointer is placed over an item on said
pulldown menu.
3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said means provides said visual
correspondence when the graphical pointer is placed over an item on said
toolbar.
4. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said means provides said visual
correspondence by highlighting said item on said toolbar.
5. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said means provides said visual
correspondence by providing a ghost image of said item on said toolbar.
6. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said means provides said visual
correspondence by providing a ghost image of said pulldown menu.
7. The computer system of claim 2 wherein said means further provides said
visual correspondence when the graphical pointer is placed over an item on
said toolbar.
8. The computer system of claim 4 wherein said item on said toolbar is
highlighted by outlining said item on said toolbar.
9. The computer system of claim 4 wherein said means further provides said
visual correspondence by providing a ghost image of said pulldown menu.
10. The computer system of claim 5 wherein said means further provides said
visual correspondence by providing a ghost image of said pulldown menu.
11. The computer system of claim 6 wherein said item on said pulldown menu
appears highlighted in said ghost image of said pulldown menu.
12. A method of providing a visual correspondence between an item on a
pulldown menu and an item on a toolbar in a graphical user interface
depicted on a display device of a computer system, the method comprising
the steps of:
moving a graphical pointer over a selected toolbar item in response to
actuation of a pointing device; and
displaying a temporary pulldown menu containing a pulldown item
corresponding to the selected toolbar item and displaying the pulldown
menu item as a ghost image in response to said moving step.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the graphical user interface is
programmed to selectively enable a mode allowing the visual
correspondence, and further comprising the step of enabling said mode.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein the graphical user interface creates a
regular pulldown menu when a corresponding item on a menu bar is selected,
and further comprising the step of providing another visual correspondence
with the selected toolbar item when the graphical pointer is placed over a
corresponding item on the regular pulldown menu.
15. The method of claim 12 wherein:
the graphical user interface creates a regular pulldown menu at a regular
location when a corresponding item on a menu bar is selected; and
said displaying step displays the temporary pulldown menu at the regular
location.
16. The method of claim 12 wherein said displaying step includes the step
of highlighting the corresponding pulldown item in the temporary pulldown
menu.
17. A method of providing a visual correspondence between an item on a
toolbar and an item on a pulldown menu in a graphical user interface
depicted on a display device of a computer system, the method comprising
the steps of:
moving a graphical pointer over a selected item in the pulldown menu in
response to actuation of a pointing device; and
highlighting a corresponding toolbar item in response to said moving step.
18. The method of claim 17 wherein the graphical user interface is
programmed to selectively enable a mode allowing the visual
correspondence, and further comprising the step of enabling said mode.
19. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of providing another
visual correspondence with the item in the pulldown menu when the
graphical pointer is placed over the corresponding toolbar item.
20. The method of claim 17 wherein the corresponding toolbar item is
obscured by the pulldown menu and said highlighting step is accomplished
by displaying a ghost image of the corresponding toolbar item.
21. The method of claim 17 wherein the toolbar item is highlighted by
outlining the toolbar item.
22. A computer program product comprising:
a storage medium; and
program instructions stored on said storage medium for allowing a processor
to cause a display device to depict a graphical user interface including a
window having a toolbar with associated items and a menu bar having at
least one pulldown menu with associated items, said graphical user
interface further providing a visual correspondence between an item on
said pulldown menu and the equivalent item on said toolbar, by changing a
visual appearance of a first one of said pulldown menu item and said
toolbar item in response to placement of a graphical pointer over a second
one of said pulldown menu item and said toolbar item.
23. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein said graphical user
interface includes the graphical pointer which moves in response to
actuation of a pointing device connected to the processor, and said
graphical user interface provides said visual correspondence when the
graphical pointer is placed over an item on said pulldown menu.
24. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein said graphical user
interface includes the graphical pointer which moves in response to
actuation of a pointing device connected to the processor, and said
graphical user interface provides said visual correspondence when the
graphical pointer is placed over an item on said toolbar.
25. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein said graphical user
interface provides said visual correspondence by highlighting said item on
said toolbar.
26. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein said graphical user
interface provides said visual correspondence by providing a ghost image
of said item on said toolbar.
27. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein said graphical user
interface provides said visual correspondence by providing a ghost image
of said pulldown menu.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computer systems, and more
particularly to a graphical user interface providing a visual
correspondence between an item on a pulldown menu and an item on a
toolbar.
2. Description of the Related Art
The basic structure of a conventional computer system 10 is shown in FIG.
1. Computer system 10 has at least one central processing unit (CPU) or
processor 12 which is connected to several peripheral devices, including
input/output devices 14 (such as a display monitor, keyboard, and
graphical pointing device) for the user interface, a permanent memory
device 16 (such as a hard disk) for storing the computer's operating
system and user programs, and a temporary memory device 18 (such as random
access memory or RAM) that is used by processor 12 to carry out program
instructions. Processor 12 communicates with the peripheral devices by
various means, including a bus 20 or a direct channel 22. Computer system
10 may have many additional components which are not shown, such as serial
and parallel ports for connection to, e.g., modems or printers. Those
skilled in the art will further appreciate that there are other components
that might be used in conjunction with those shown in the block diagram of
FIG. 1; for example, a display adapter connected to processor 12 might be
used to control a video display monitor, and a memory controller may be
used as an interface between temporary memory device 18 and processor 12.
Computer system 10 also includes firmware 24 whose primary purpose is to
seek out and load an operating system from one of the peripherals (usually
permanent memory device 16) whenever the computer is first turned on.
With further reference to FIG. 2, conventional computer systems often
employ a graphical user interface (GUI) to present information to the
user. In the example of FIG. 2, a generic application program entitled
"Document Manager" is presented by the GUI as a primary application window
(parent window) 26 on a display device (i.e., video monitor) 28. In this
example, the application window has several secondary, enclosed windows
(child windows) 30, 32 and 34 which depict the contents of various files
that are handled by the program. A menu bar 36 with a standard set of
commands, and a toolbar 38 may also be provided as part of the GUI, to
simplify manipulation and control of the objects (e.g., text, charts and
graphics) within the child windows. Toolbars can be provided as rows or
columns, and have several buttons comprising textual icons, non-textual
(graphic) icons, or icons having both graphic and textual elements. The
depicted toolbar 38 includes, for example, three common edit-type buttons
40, 42 and 44 used respectively to "cut," "copy" and "paste" file objects.
Each of these buttons can be easily selected using the graphical pointer
46 controlled by a pointing device (e.g., mouse) connected to the computer
which is manually actuated.
As further seen in FIG. 3, when a given item on the menu bar 36 is
selected, the GUI displays a pulldown menu 48. A pulldown menu has several
lines, and a given line can provide a single command or provide a link to
a further pulldown menu. It is very common for there to be a one-to-one
mapping between individual menu bar pulldowns and toolbar items. For
instance, if the user selects the "Edit" feature on menu bar 36 (using
either the pointing device or the keyboard), pulldown menu 48 is
displayed, and includes pulldowns "Undo," "Cut," "Copy," "Paste," "Clear,"
"Find," and "Replace" (the underlined letters in these words correspond to
the keystrokes on the keyboard which can be used to select the pulldowns
while the pulldown menu is displayed). Of these seven pulldown items,
three of them thus correspond to toolbar items; namely, the second, third
and fourth lines respectively correspond to buttons 40, 42 and 44. The
other four lines on pulldown menu 48 have no corresponding buttons in the
depicted toolbar 38, although many application programs allow the user to
customize toolbars to, e.g., add buttons for other pulldowns.
Pulldown menus and toolbars offer a simple and user-friendly way of
executing special program commands. As shown in FIG. 3, a pulldown menu
can offer even more user friendliness by indicating, on the corresponding
lines, special keystrokes or keystroke combinations that can be used to
select the pulldown commands even when the pulldown menu is not being
displayed. However, when scanning the menu bar pulldowns, it is not
apparent whether there are corresponding toolbar items and, if
corresponding toolbar items do exist (and are displayed within the
application window), there is no indication of where on the toolbar the
items are. A similar problem is found in the reverse context, that is,
when selecting a toolbar icon it is never apparent to the user that there
is any corresponding menu bar pulldown item. This information would be
useful in many cases, but quite often is not implemented unless the user
is conscientious about reviewing the application program documentation,
and remembers all of the toolbar-pulldown links. This problem can be
mitigated by providing intuitive graphic symbols but, as the number of
such icons proliferate it becomes more difficult to provide any meaningful
correspondence between toolbar items and pulldowns. The "bubble help"
feature of some programs allows a user to select a mode wherein, when the
graphical pointer is placed over a toolbar button, a small conversation
bubble appears on the screen with information about the button, but this
increases the visual complexity of the user interface. Also, while the
toolbar item could include more textual information which would make the
corresponding pulldown more apparent, this approach is contrary to the
compact design of toolbar buttons. It would, therefore, be desirable to
devise a method of affording feedback to users that easily and intuitively
provides knowledge of any mapping between an item on a pulldown menu and
its corresponding item on a toolbar. It would be further advantageous if
the method would retain current toolbar and pulldown behavior, but extend
their functionality without increasing the visual complexity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide an improved
graphical user interface (GUI) having pulldown menus and toolbars.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a GUI wherein
a simple and intuitive linkage between a menu bar pulldown and a toolbar
icon is provided.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a linkage
without increasing the visual complexity of the GUI.
The foregoing objects are achieved in a computer system generally
comprising a display device, a processor, and means allowing the processor
to cause the display device to depict a GUI including a window having a
toolbar with associated items and a menu bar having at least one pulldown
menu with associated items, the means further providing a visual
correspondence between an item on the pulldown menu and an item on the
toolbar. The means provides the visual correspondence when a graphical
pointer is placed over an item on the pulldown menu, or when a graphical
pointer is placed over an item on the toolbar. The visual correspondence
may be provided by highlighting the item on the toolbar, by providing a
ghost image of the item on the toolbar, or by providing a ghost image of
the pulldown menu. The item on the toolbar can be highlighted by outlining
it, or using other techniques such as color inversion, etc. A
corresponding pulldown item in the ghost pulldown menu can also be
highlighted. The present invention thereby retains current user
interaction with toolbars and menu bars, and the dynamic linking of menu
bar and toolbar items extends the functionality of the GUI without adding
completely new visual elements. It can be toggled on and off for, e.g., a
training mode to acquaint the user with toolbar/menu bar linkages. A
"wizard" or subroutine can optionally be activated after the training mode
to delete features that the user does not want to use, such as "cut" or
"paste."
The above as well as additional objectives, features, and advantages of the
present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written
description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth
in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a
preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages thereof, will
best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of
an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional computer system;
FIG. 2 is an illustration of a computer display showing a conventional
graphical user interface (GUI) which employs a menu bar and a toolbar to
allow simplified execution of program commands;
FIG. 3 is an illustration the GUI of FIG. 2 wherein a menu bar item has
been selected, resulting in the display of a pulldown menu;
FIG. 4 is an illustration of a computer display showing a GUI designed in
accordance with the present invention to provide a visual correspondence
between an item on a pulldown menu and an item on a toolbar;
FIG. 5 is an illustration of the GUI of FIG. 4 wherein the link is shown
with the toolbar item in "ghost" form; and
FIG. 6 is an illustration of the GUI of FIG. 4 wherein the link is shown
with the pulldown menu in "ghost" form.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention is directed to a computer system having graphical
user interface (GUI) providing a visual correspondence between an item on
a pulldown menu and an item on a toolbar. The computer system's hardware
may include the various components shown in FIG. 1, but the computer
system is not necessarily conventional, i.e., it could include new
hardware components as well, or have a novel interconnection architecture
for existing components. Therefore, while the present invention may be
understood with reference to FIG. 1, this reference should not be
construed in a limiting sense. The GUI of the present invention may
further be adapted for use with existing operating systems such as OS/2 (a
trademark of International Business Machines Corp.) or Windows 95 (a
trademark of Microsoft Corp.). Users of these systems are accustomed to
interfacing with toolbars and items selectable from menu bar pulldowns.
With reference to FIG. 4, the invention introduces the concept of feedback
to users that easily and intuitively provides knowledge of the one-to-one
linkage mapping between an item on a pulldown menu, such as a regular
pulldown menu 50 depending from a menu bar 52, and its corresponding item
on a toolbar, such as toolbar 54. Pulldown menu 50, menu bar 52 and
toolbar 54 are part of the application window 56 presented by a particular
application program (or the operating system itself) on a display or video
monitor 58 which may be controlled by a video adapter that is connected to
the processor of the computer system. This feedback feature may be used,
e.g., as a training tool, so the operating system or other program
providing the GUI may selectively allow the user to be in a mode that
enables this function (not all users may want to see it). This mode would
be under user control, as a setting which the user can toggle. Optionally,
when the user exits the training mode (i.e., when it is toggled off), a
subroutine ("wizard") can automatically be activated to allow the user to
delete features that are not desired, such as cut/paste.
When the feedback mode is active and the user passes the pointing device
selection indicator 60 (i.e., mouse pointer) over a menu bar pulldown
item, if there is a corresponding item on the toolbar and that item is
visible, then the item on the toolbar is highlighted or emphasized in some
manner. The highlighting could be, for example, an outline around the
item, color change or inversion, etc. The specific implementation of the
highlighting may vary. In the implementation depicted in FIG. 4,
highlighting is accomplished by outlining the icon. Pointer 60 is moved
over the item "Paste" in pulldown menu 50. This tentative selection
generates an outline 62 about the paste button 64. In the preferred
embodiment, this highlighting is shown only while the mouse pointer is
kept over the original pulldown item.
With further reference to FIG. 5, if there is a corresponding item on the
toolbar, but that item is not visible because it is obscured by the
pulldown menu, the feedback can still be given, e.g., by a "ghost" image
appearing under (superimposed on) the pulldown, as if the menu had a
transparent portion. In the example of FIG. 5, a link for the cut button
is shown with the toolbar item in ghost form 66 when pointer is placed
over the "Cut" line of pulldown menu 50.
If there is no corresponding item on the toolbar for a particular pulldown,
nothing happens when that pulldown is selected.
The present invention may also be applied in the reverse context, i.e.,
when the user passes the mouse pointer over a toolbar item. For example,
as shown in FIG. 6, a link is provided as a temporary pulldown menu in
ghost form 68 to display the "Cut" line of the menu when pointer 60 is
placed over the cut button 70. The ghost pulldown menu may appear with
only the relevant line displayed, or with all the lines displayed and with
the corresponding item highlighted in some manner (e.g., reverse video).
The ghost image of the pulldown menu preferably appears in the same
location within application window 56 as it would if the corresponding
item in menu bar 52 had been selected.
The present invention has several benefits. It retains current behavior and
user interaction with toolbars and menu bars. The dynamic linking of items
extends the functionality of the GUI without increasing its visual
complexity, and allows the user to quickly and easily determine the
one-to-one mapping between toolbar items and menu pulldown items. It can
be easily toggled on and off, and can also easily be used in conjunction
with "bubble help", commonly used in GUIs when a user passes the mouse
pointer over a selectable item.
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific
embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting
sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiment, as well as
alternative embodiments of the invention, will become apparent to persons
skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention. It
is therefore contemplated that such modifications can be made without
departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as defined in
the appended claims.
Top